


Be My Mirror

by Vehka



Series: Pillars of Sand [1]
Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Dreams, F/M, Forgery, Post-Movie(s), Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-01
Updated: 2012-06-01
Packaged: 2017-11-06 12:24:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/418910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vehka/pseuds/Vehka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"So how do you do it?" Ariadne asks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Be My Mirror

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is first part of the series called Pillars of Sand, which revolves around forgery. Eames is very complex and interesting character and I wish I've made him justice.

"So, how do you do it?"

It's already late. They sit in Cobb's kitchen, all the other team members have already gone to sleep but she has waited so she could ask that specific question. Eames smirks.

"Do what?" he asks even though he knows what Ariadne means.

"How do you do the forgery?"

"I can't explain it, darling. Not really", he says, still smiling. "It's just something you have to learn yourself."

"Oh, c'mon", Ariadne begs. He grins and there's a challenge in his eyes.

"Would you dare to come with me? To the dream?"

And after a moment of hesitation, she says yes.

*

Ariadne looks around in the dream city, only to see herself waiting. She rolls her eyes.

"Really funny, Eames."

"Isn't it?" the forger says. He sounds perfectly same as Ariadne. He looks perfectly same, except his smirk in Ariadne's face resembles far too much Eames' smirk.

"I already knew you could do that", she sighs, "but how?"

Eames turns back to himself. His eyes are deep and intense, his voice is soft:

"I know you. I know all of them. The better I know you, the better I can forge you."

"But you don't know me at all!" Ariadne protests. "We have known each other for less than a month, and we've barely talked at all, and..."

"Yet I know you", Eames whispers. "For that is my gift, darling."

"How?" now she's scared, her voise is trembling.

"By watching you. The way you bite your lips when you're anxious, the way you look at Arthur... You squint your eyes when you are concentrating. Your mind goes to some unreachable place when you desing new mazes or build the dreams."

"But you can't see through me without ever talking to me", she says.

"No, I can't, that's true. But I can see enough. And if you tried, you could probably do it too. Just look at me. Think about everything you know about me – or ask, if you're not sure. Although I don't promise I'll tell all the answers", Eames chuckles, "And when you think you can do it, come to me again."

And then he's gone. Ariadne looks around, but she already knows she can't find him – he might be any of the projections, really. So she just waits for the dream to wear off and thinks, mostly about Eames and what she knows about him. 

And she realizes she doesn't know anything at all.

*

It turns out to be really hard. While the team stays at Cobb's place, Ariadne spends her time observing Eames, the way he dresses and walks and talks. She notices more than she's noticed before, but it's never enough.

Eames sees it all. He looks back, amused, and when Arthur asks the forger if Ariadne has a crush on him Eames laughs and gives him a wink.

"I'll never tell you, darling", he says.

*

Three days later Eames sits at the backyard. Ariadne stops next to him.

"Get up", she says. Eames raises his eyebrow.

"So, what now?" he asks, grinning. Ariadne doesn't say anything, she just pushes her lips against his . When he's about to answer the kiss, Ariadne pulls back.

"That was enough, thank you. Now, take off your shirt."

Eames shakes his head.

"Nice try, girl, but it isn't that easy. To be honest, you don't even need that part of me, unless you're planning to get to be me naked."

Ariadne flushes and turns away. Eames chuckles.

*

They're in a dream. Ariadne is still herself, but Eames is pretty sure she's going to try forging this time.

"Do you think you could do it?" he asks.

"No", she says.

"Why? You wanted to learn it so badly and you've spent so much time", he's surprised.

"When I learned to know you better I understood something", Ariadne says.

"And what was that?"

"I could never be you completely. Even if I had a thousand lifetimes, I couldn't learn everything about you. You're too complex, you're like a painting with so many layers of color it's impossible to count them."

"So you give up?" Eames teases.

"No. I'm going to find out everything about you – but not because I'd like to forge to you. I'll do it because it's impossible for me to stop anymore. I guess... I just might..."

"Don't say it", Eames stops her. "I'm good at reading you, but I'm a coward, really. However, you're welcome to explore me as much as you want."

She lifts her gaze. Eames winks.

"And you may even kiss me again if you like. Just as many times as you wish."


End file.
